Spring construction



May 3, 1932. J. HUG 1,856,784

SPRING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 6, 1929 IIIIIIIIIIIDIIIID QT'TOEA/EKVU Patented May 3, 1932 PATENT OFFICE CHRISTIAN J. HUG, 0F HIGHLAND, ILLINOIS SPRING CONSTRUCTION Application filed June 6, 1929. Serial No. 368,761.

My invention relates to a spring construction for vehicles and has for its object to provide a two-part spring, the strength of which is increased as the load placed upon the vehicle increases, to the end of guarding against breakage of the spring due to excessive loading of the vehicle.

This is accomplished by the combination of a quarter-elliptic spring whose butt end is secured to the side-sill of the vehicle and whose free end is arranged above a buffer element carried at the center of the depending semi-elliptic spring suspended from said sidesill, the free end of said quarter-elliptic spring being normally, when the vehicle carries no load, out of contact with said bufier element, said free end being forced downwardly by the load to contact with one or more points of support in said bufier element as the load is increased, with the practical effect of shortening the length of the bottom leaf of said quarter-elliptic spring as the load is increased.

Drawings In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the rear end of a chassis equipped with the spring mechanism of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of said spring mechanisms.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view indicating the contact of the bottom leaf of the quarterelliptic spring with the supporting points of the buffer element carried by the semi-elliptic spring as the vehicle is loaded.

Description In the drawings I have indicated the sidesills A and the axle B on which axle B the semi-elliptical spring C is mounted in the usual manner by means of the yokes 4-4. The spring 0 is mounted upon the sill A by means of the fixed pivot 5 and the link 6. Upon the upper face of the spring C and secured thereto by the yokes 4-4 is a buffer element D illustrated as having two upwardly projecting shoulders or buffers 7 and 8, and a vertical loop. or guide 11 encircling the inner or free end of the spring E.

A bracket 9 is mounted as shown upon the side-sill A and carries the semi-elliptic spring E secured to the bracket 9 at its butt end as shown. The spring E has the bottom leaf 10 whose lower face is in vertical alinement with the buffers 7 and 8, and when the vehicle is not under load, said leaf 10 is free from contact with said buffers 7 and 8.

As the vehicle receives its load and the side-sill A is accordingly depressed toward the axle B, the leaf 10 will contact with the buffer 7 and as the load is increased, will subsequently contact with the buffer 8 as illustrated in Fig. 3.

This construction adjusts the eifective length of the leaf 10 and thereby adjusts the carrying strength of the spring E, therefore protecting the spring E against breakage due to excessive load or shocks in traveling.

I have illustrated the buffer element D as having two points of contact, 7 and 8, with the spring E. The number of those contact points may be increased, and other modifications of the structure illustrated and described herein may be efiected without departure from my actual invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim- A vehicle spring mechanism comprising a chassis side-sill; a semi-elliptic spring having one terminal suspended from said sill by a link and the opposite end mounted on said sill by a pivot; a bracket secured to said sill in proximity to said pivot; a quarter-elliptic spring having its butt end mounted on said bracket; a buffer member centrally mounted upon said semi-elliptic spring, said buffer member having a loop encircling the free end of said quarter-elliptic spring and a series of upwardly projecting shoulders arranged to successively contact with and support the bottom leaf of said quarter-elliptic spring as the load of the vehicle is increased.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CHRISTIAN J. HUG. 

